Aaaargh! A PC rant...

[Robski]

Originally Posted by Richard Mason

Hah. You think that's bad. I ring the folks back home in Blighty, get my Dad whoi is having computer problems, mainly because he never does a disc cleanup nor a defrag.

Furthermore, he hasn't worked out how to save photos etc and more seriously, correspondence from work (various financial statements, certificates etc in pdf), he's an Independent Financial Adviser, so the upshot is that any email he's ever been sent over the past 5 years that has an important attachment, he hasn't deleted.

So I spend 3 hours on the phone....from Australia mind you......telling him how to set up new folders to store his stuff in and how to save to them. Matters are made worse by the fact that he tries to have a conversation with me about why he didn't see a dialogue box, or he'll just shout hysterically that a little box has opened and he doesn't know what to do, not hearing me asking him to read it out to me becvause he's just repeating the same panic bollacks over & over and not listening to me. Then it's the disc cleanup and I don't want to even discuss the defrag. The save as command totally eludes him too.

Worst part about it is that after a 1-3 hr session, I'll be on the phone to them a month later and he's forgotten everything. It's got to the stage where I won't ring anymore as it's costing me a fortune and a lot of blood pressure.

3 fixes.....

1) Remote desktop
2) VNC
3) Camomile tea

[hogen-deifar]

Dave, repeat after me....

NO.

NO.

NO.


Now continue to say that for the rest of the day. When you're next asked to help the answer will come to you immediately.

Alternatively, follow Steve's advice. That would work better than most advice on here!!!

My Dad was an electrical engineer, but an inventor rather than a grafter. He invented nucleonic detection machines the size of pens, around the time of Chenobyl. We had a computer before most people and he could write ALL program languages. Things like Pascal et all. ALL of them. His intelligence bowled me over sometimes (I reckon I was swapped at birth, TBH!!). He knew more about computers and stuff than anyone I knew.

He's now 72, partially sighted due to glaucoma, but he still gets asked to fix peoples computers. Young and old people alike! He's even had people ring him after 11 at night asking for help. He retired 14 years ago when Mum died!!! He's got all the top gadgets and can do predictive texting, which considering his disability and age is pretty impressive!

Can't get him to come round to mine whenever my computer's busted though!!! I have to always figure it out myself, by doing all the normal stuff, disk clean, defrag, system restore if all else fails, etc!

I've found the best way to keep the computer working well is don't let mini-me on it!!!! The Sims nearly crippled it!!!

[Scuttler]

Dave,

There's a problem with my network.......the wiggly thing won't fit into the whirly whirly thing and the wobbly thing keeps falling over.

Can you pop over and take a look at it.


I pay well......I'll let you look at my lovely Salvo....mmmmmmmmmmmm

[Arfie]

Originally Posted by Robski

3 fixes.....

1) Remote desktop
2) VNC
3) Camomile tea

When I do a reinstall for anyone now, I load logmein onto it which works like remote desktop, then when they get future issues I just log onto their machine from home/work while they talk/listen on the phone (they need to call me )

At least this way, I can do it quicker and they can watch me doing it without me having to leave my house.

Arfie

[ShinyD]

I took the bull by the horns this morning and rang the guy up before I was due to visit. I told him I'd spent too much time in the past fixing other peoples PCs and as I had limited time outside work I didn't want to open that particular box again. I told him I wouldn't be calling around and again recommended the guy down the road that makes a living fixing these things.

He didn't take the news particularly graciously, but what the heck. I'd never met him before Friday so I'm not exactly gutted at the response

I still feel like a bit of a rat though...

[swissdave]

Well now you've got some free time on your hands Dave......

My laptop seems to be running a bit slow.....any chance?

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by ShinyD

I still feel like a bit of a rat though...

You shouldn't feel that way......but I know what you mean. As people have said before....he'd have to pay normal rates if he went elsewhere so why should he expect you to do it for nothing. If he's that bothered he can RTFM!

[Scuttler]

Originally Posted by swissdave

My laptop seems to be running a bit slow.....any chance?

I think that has more to do with the operator than the laptop

[ShinyD]

Originally Posted by Scuttler

I think that has more to do with the operator than the laptop

That was about to be my exact response

The PADI bloatware screensaver and active desktop (snorkel as mouse pointer I imagine) probably doesn't help

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by ShinyD

I took the bull by the horns this morning and rang the guy up before I was due to visit. I told him I'd spent too much time in the past fixing other peoples PCs and as I had limited time outside work I didn't want to open that particular box again. I told him I wouldn't be calling around and again recommended the guy down the road that makes a living fixing these things.

He didn't take the news particularly graciously, but what the heck. I'd never met him before Friday so I'm not exactly gutted at the response

I still feel like a bit of a rat though...

Don't. It is far better to tell him now, when you ahve only known him a day or two than for him to find out months down the track that you were reluctant (and, imho, rightly so).

there is nothing worse than being aware that help, although offered freely, is given reluctantly, and evn worse, the only way you find out is because a mutual friend tells you. Honesty is the best policy.